


not just poppies

by mak (cold_blue_eyes)



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Everyone Is Alive, Falling In Love, Growing Up, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2019-03-23 09:17:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13784427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cold_blue_eyes/pseuds/mak
Summary: It was a long-ago summer afternoon in the middle of their adventure game in the woods that Stiles called Derek’s name and extended his bony arm to Derek as he held a golden poppy in hand.They bonded right then, but only Derek knew.





	not just poppies

It was a long-ago summer afternoon in the middle of their adventure game in the woods that Stiles called Derek’s name and extended his bony arm to Derek as he held a golden poppy in hand. They were no more than young kids, and their parents only let them alone because Derek had acute hearing, and his mother too. 

Derek remembers hearing the sound of Stiles ripping off the stem from the plant and turning to him as Derek sniffed at the offering, unsure of what to do.

“It’s for you,” said Stiles, waving the flower at Derek, and Derek, who wasn’t one for many words, waited a beat in silence - or as much silence as it could exist when Stiles’ heart ran fast and loud in his chest.

“Thanks,” said Derek a moment later, taking the flower from Stiles and looking at it closely before putting in the pocket of his shorts. 

Suddenly the air was full of a sweet smell, which Derek was sure has nothing to do with the flower. It came from Stiles, but Derek didn’t know what it was. Stiles smiled at him and Derek felt his lips curl up. His chest expanded, and there was something new and bright warming him up inside.

Derek had no name for it back then, but that gap-toothed smile made him feel things.

-

They fought and made up not once, not twice, but maybe a hundred times during their school years. Stiles usually wanted attention, and Derek could only take so much of him. They did like each other a lot, always going to and from school together, riding their bikes in the woods or walking the long way home just to talk. They were more than just friends, even if they were of different ages. 

Still, Stiles was an acquired taste sometimes. Especially when his teenage hormones kicked in.

“I’ll have to find some lawns to mow because I need money to buy Lydia flowers. Valentine’s day is almost here, and if I don’t do something to get her attention she’s going to go out with that jerkface - and my heart can only take so much.” Stiles had his hands moving up and down nervously like he was trying to will some money to appear out of thin air.

“You won’t die of heartbreak,” Derek murmured, second-guessing his ability to not give to Stiles all that he wanted, in this case, lend him money for the flowers. “That seems to be what’s going to happen, judging by all the other times you tried to get her attention.”

Without success, obviously.

Stiles gaped at Derek’s sincerity.

“You don’t think I have a chance, dude?”

“Don’t call me dude,” chastised Derek, but then he hummed to himself, trying to find something interesting to look inside his locker so he wouldn’t have to answer that question. Stiles was onto him, though, and the sour smell of disappointment and frustration, with a bit of self-deprecation, suddenly permeated their surroundings. 

For a moment Derek wanted to rob a garden for Stiles himself, but if it was a gift to someone else Derek wouldn’t let himself do it. Not that he was jealous, perhaps just a little, but Lydia Martin never showed any kind of interest in Stiles, not that Stiles cared about that. He was not the most brilliant boy when it came to feelings. 

Derek’s wolf knew all about that.

“Maybe I’ll sell some of my games to buy her a bigger present? Not like Dad will know. Or care,” Stiles said to himself, turning around and walking down the hallway, away from Derek. 

Derek was frozen in place for a second. The usual obsession Stiles’ displayed in his romantic pursuits didn’t leave Derek much of a choice of how to deal with it, he didn’t feel like he had the experience or tact to do that. Derek was the strong, silent and supportive kind of guy. 

He’d be there when Stiles broke his heart again, for sure. And Derek hoped it would happen. 

It didn’t make him feel like the best person in the world, but he didn’t care.

-

Eventually, Stiles realized he was being creepy, some heartbreaks later. He did apologize to Lydia, and to every other person he’d tried to will into love. By then he was already in his first year in college, after his sexual awakening. 

Derek, on the other hand, tried to keep telling himself he wasn’t that creepy. He’d realized a long time ago that there was something about the tightness in his chest when Stiles told him of some new person he was seeing, or just a hookup for the night, that brought awareness to the fact that Derek definitely had feelings for him.

Sometimes he wondered if it indeed started with that poppy flower he got as a gift. Maybe it was because his wolf was just a cub and decided to imprint on Stiles or something. What Derek felt wasn’t impossible to manage, and he never had bouts of rage over Stiles’ decisions in life. It just felt like this sense of never-ending disappointment always hovered over his head, with him just settling for being around Stiles, orbiting in his aura. 

Of course, Stiles never treated him like second-best. Even if he gained new friends, and he made them by the handful, Stiles still always came back to Derek.

“We could do something together this weekend.” Stiles was laying down in Derek’s bed as he read a book. Derek worked on the outline for an article at his desk. 

Derek’s wolf danced happily every time Stiles’s smell infused his dorm room.

“We can go out, but you know I don’t like those frat gatherings,” commented Derek, not looking to Stiles as he tried to concentrate on his work.

He heard Stiles snorting. “Dude, you can say frat parties, because that’s what they are. I’m kinda tired of going out all night, though. And midterms almost bit my ass, so I’m trying to put in some quality studying-time. And some Derek-time, too. I’ve missed you, man.”

Of course, Derek’s traitorous heart skipped a beat, and his wolf wanted to whine to get some attention. 

“You missed me?” Derek tried for a joke, but it almost came out too sentimental.

Stiles laughed. “Of course I did. You’re going to graduate this year and I’m kinda, I don’t know. I’m afraid you’re going to decide on doing something on the other side of the country, and maybe this is our ‘last hurrah’ or something.” Stiles sighed, the laughter in his voice giving way to some hesitation. 

It really did feel like Stiles was honest in his words, and Derek didn’t know how to tamp down the urge to go to him and bury his nose where Stiles’ smell concentrated the most.

Derek let his pen fall to the desk and then slowly turned around. Stiles had his gaze directed at the ceiling, pensive, but then he glanced at Derek. His eyes were full of something close to fear for the future. Derek felt the same sometimes.

He didn’t think much when he got up from the chair, and instinctively Stiles moved to give him some space on the bed. Derek found a spot beside Stiles without touching him, but Stiles turned to him, his breath whooshing across Derek’s cheek, and then they were joined at the hip.

Stiles lay his head on Derek’s shoulder.

With their bodies so close Derek had to try and not breathe too deep, but he was used to that now.

“You have to promise to not go too far away from… here.” From me. It really did seem like Stiles had wanted to say something different.

“I didn’t know you wanted me around forever,” Derek joked, but there was too much truth in his words. 

Stiles slapped him on the thigh. “Of course I want you around, Derek.” 

He nuzzled Derek’s shoulder.

It was hard to control his heart, but Derek knew better than to ruin this moment for himself.

He could always have just this moment. He’d be fine.

-

Surprising no one but Stiles, Derek decided to go back to Beacon Hills to teach History, because he would never leave his pack. Only most people didn’t know about that. And Derek couldn’t exactly tell them.

There was one instance where he could reveal his nature to someone, and Derek in the past wished that someone to be Stiles, but some part of him had settled for his absence now.

Things started to chance with Derek back in town and Stiles away studying. They still called and messaged each other, still found time to go out when Stiles came to visit his father, but it was clear as day that they weren’t as close anymore. Stiles didn’t tell him everything he was doing anymore, and some secrets started to carve this distance between them.

More times than he was expecting Derek heard people’s comments in town about him being alone, without the ‘Stilinski kid’ running after him, which was weird to think about because he was the one that always had been after Stiles. His family didn’t ask any more about him and Stiles, and finally, Derek managed to control his emotions around Sheriff Stilinski when he found the man in town because he wasn’t a teenager anymore that could chalk his silence up to hormones or mood swings.

“Hello, Derek.” 

He was waiting in line with his cart of the groceries for the week when Stiles’ father stopped behind him.

“Hi, Sheriff.” Derek couldn’t help but eye what the man had in his basket. It looked mostly like green, healthy things, and Stiles would be proud.

The man saw Derek checking out his groceries.

“Did Stiles put you on ‘protecting the Sheriff’ duty?” 

Derek smiled. “No, Sir. But he did talk about your eating habits enough for me to pick up some stuff.”

The Sheriff sighed, shaking his head. “You can tell him I’ve learned to take care of myself.”

“I’ll do that,” said Derek, even though he wanted to add that the Sheriff probably talked to Stiles a lot more than him.

“How are you finding Beacon Hills, Derek? Is it good to be home again?”

“I was always going to come back. But it’s good to be home, yes. I missed my family.”

The Sheriff nodded. “I talked with your parents while you were away, and they were really proud you managed to finish a year early just to come back. I thought a bright kid like you was going to stay far away from here since not many choose to come back to Beacon Hills.”

“I don’t think there was ever much of a choice for me,” Derek told him. “I’m much more of a small-town kind of guy.”

“Yes, Stiles mentioned that once or twice. He also said that he’s going to come back when he graduates, but I don’t know. Stiles is such a different kid, he’s always been one for adventures and trying new things, which I’m often unaware of. I’m not putting much stock into him coming back, though.” The man gave him a sour smile.

Derek could feel his heart breaking inside, but he nodded along to the words the Sheriff said. 

The man was right, Stiles was a free bird and he deserved to decide whatever place he wanted to fly away to. Derek knew how much caged animals suffered.

He could always recall their moments together, and maybe grow some poppies in the garden of his parents’ house if it would help him not forget Stiles.

As if it would be that easy.

-

Stiles didn’t move back to Beacon Hills after he graduated college. According to him his degree in Social Studies was just a first step into the field of Criminology because he wanted to be as far away as he could from the stigma of most armed forces. He was usually excited when talking about his studies in the few times they’ve chatted. 

Derek felt better knowing he was happy. He tried to move on, he did. The problem was that his dates never turned out well, and it always felt like something was missing, which was obvious to him. It didn’t make things easier to know what he wanted. 

As the years passed Derek became a permanent fixture at the Beacon Hills High School, got his membership to the Town Library’s book group, and even ended up involved in advising the Sheriff about supernatural matters, because they lived in Beacon Hills and that was bound to happen someday.

Only Sheriff Stilinski knew about his family, and the man took a time to adjust of course, but he accepted them and did his best to protect the supernatural creatures as well as he did the humans.

Other than work, Derek’s social life was pretty bleak, but he had some friends. The girl from the coffee shop, Erica, one of the members of the book club, Boyd, the guy who always serviced Derek’s Camaro, Isaac, all of them were close to Derek in some way. 

Still, there was a lot of free time on his calendar, which Derek filled with patrolling the woods as a wolf. He usually did it in the late afternoons until the night came, before going back home to spend the night alone. 

Since Derek was the one that insisted on doing patrols every day, chances were that he’d be the one to find an intruder in their territory. 

And one afternoon he did. 

Only, it wasn’t exactly an intruder.

Before Derek heard a heartbeat as he walked in the woods, the smell of sulfur and ozone, and wolfsbane hit his nose. His hackles rose and the trot of his wolf came to a halt. Derek sneaked behind trees and trod carefully as to not make any sound. The closer he got to the source of the smell, very deep in the Preserve, Derek became attuned to what was happening there.

There was someone chanting old words under their breath, and Derek didn’t know them, but he was experienced enough to know about magic. He thought of warning his pack, but he wanted to know what they were against first. Maybe he didn’t need to call them just yet.

Derek caught another scent a moment later and his heart started beating fast inside his chest as his instincts kicked into overdrive. He knew that scent, he would know it anywhere.

His wolf moved without Derek being able to control him, bounding in a leap into the small clearing where the magic was coming from. Derek heard the garbled, scared shout and stopped short before reaching Stiles, who whipped around to look at him with eyes wide open.

“Oh my god!” Stiles had a leather pouch his hand, which he let fall to the ground as his hands came to clutch his chest. The smell of fear was pungent in the air, and whatever spell Stiles was trying to cast just vanished in the air.

His eyes were big as they stared at Derek.

“What are you? Who are you?” Stiles asked. There was a churning feeling inside of Derek. Stiles knew something. Maybe not about him, but he knew. “I know magic, and I can probably destroy you if you come too close.” Even afraid, and lying through his teeth, Stiles used the little bravery he had to try and protect himself.

It would be hard to explain what Derek was if he couldn’t talk to Stiles, and Derek didn’t even think of another option than the most obvious one. While Stiles stared at him, Derek willed the change to come. His body was used to it. Derek closed his eyes and felt the rearranging bones and muscles, the hairs disappearing to give place to smooth skin. 

And he heard Stiles’ deep intake of breath.

“Oh,” he said, completely frozen in place when Derek opened his eyes. The fear in the air started to give way to something different. Derek couldn’t say exactly what it was.

“Hi,” said Derek.

Stiles was without words, but only for a second. “Is it really you?”

Even used to being naked around his pack, Derek covered his crotch, a bit unsure as to how his own body would react to Stiles. And of course, right when his hands went there, Stiles’ eyes did the same, eyeing Derek up and down. It wasn’t too hard to sense the small amount of arousal in Stiles’ scent that came up with that gaze of appraisal, all mixed in with confusion and fear.

“You’re a werewolf,” stated Stiles, and Derek confirmed with a nod. “That makes so much sense now.” Stiles shook his head in bewilderment.

“Really?”

Stiles stepped close to Derek, but then his eyes went up and down Derek’s naked body again, and Stiles blushed. It was hard to know exactly what that reaction was about. Derek didn’t have much time to wonder about it because Stiles was already taking out the long-sleeved plaid shirt he wore over his graphic tee and gave it to Derek as he motioned with his head to Derek’s nakedness.

Derek felt his lips curling up to show his fangs. He grabbed the shirt and tied around his waist, sensing the way Stiles looked at him. Where did all of this come from? Those feelings were never there before, at least not that Derek knew.

“Am I okay now?” Asked Derek, almost enjoying the way Stiles couldn’t help but look at him. 

Those brown eyes rose up to meet Derek’s. Stiles had some fight in him.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me this?” He asked, pointing to the general area where Derek came from as if it would explain everything that happened.

“You didn’t tell me about any of this either.” Derek pointed to Stiles and the leather pouch on the ground.

Stiles huffed out an annoyed breath, ready to start on his tirade again, but he stopped at the last moment and sighed, shaking his head. “You’re right.”

“And how did you even get around to start doing… magic? Is that what this is?”

Stiles looked at the ground where his pouch was resting. He was quiet for a short moment and only that.

“Dad spilled some beans years ago about Beacon Hills, but never about you. I mean, are you the only werewolf here? Because as far as I know usually they live in a pack, and families are the central members of packs,” Stiles seemed to think for a beat, and then, like a lightbulb that appeared over his head, his eyes focused on Derek again. “Your family, they’re all werewolves, right? That would make a lot of sense.”

There was a thrill in having all their secrets thrown in the air, but Derek couldn’t help but feel the underlying sense of calmness now that Stiles was bound to discover everything. Derek could deny it all, but the biggest part of him didn’t feel like he should.

He nodded. “I don’t know if I should tell you much. Wolves don’t like to divulge all their secrets.”

“I know,” Stiles confirmed with his head. “Emissaries are the same.”

At the word, Derek's ears perked up. “You’re training to be an emissary?”

“Not really?” Stiles scrunched up his nose and tilted his head to the side. “I got to know a teacher that was an emissary, in college, and when I told her about Beacon Hills she got all mysterious and showed me some things, for what reason, I have no idea.”

That was unusual, to say the least. Derek really didn’t know how to act, but it wasn’t like Stiles would pose a threat to them, at least he hoped not. 

“And what were you doing here?” Derek asked, trying to clear his head from any kind of doubt towards Stiles. His wolf didn’t really seem to have anything against him, after all.

“Ms. Morrell sent me to Deaton, the vet, you know? Because I was going to come home for the break before my last year, and she told me it would be good for me to practice some wards and stuff. And Deaton sent me here to try and make a protective ward, though I have no idea what I’m exactly doing.”

“Deaton sent you here?” 

“Yeah.”

“That’s interesting,” murmured Derek.

“Why?”

“He’s our emissary. And I’m sure this Ms. Morrell is his younger sister, that left Beacon Hills years ago.” Stiles looked surprised to hear that. In fact, Derek thought all of this was just too much of a coincidence. 

“I didn’t know. Well, I didn’t know pretty much anything. But…” Stiles seemed nervous for just a moment.

“But?”

“You’re kind of the reason why I got into magic?” Stiles said those words in hesitation.

“What?”

“I mean,” Stiles gestured to the place where Derek came from and seemed frustrated for a moment as he didn’t know the words he wanted to say. “I saw this little figurine in Ms. Morrell’s office, and I was thrown back to the past. She realized that I-”

“What figurine?” Derek inquired.

“It was a wolf with yellow, glowing eyes.”

Derek shivered. Stiles looked at him almost guiltily, and Derek instinctively let his eyes shine yellow. Stiles seemed transfixed, and for a moment he walked toward Derek, as if he wanted to touch him, but stopped at the last step.

“What did it reminded you of?”

“You,” said Stiles. “There was this one time when we were kids, I don’t even know if you remember, but I fell down the sidewalk when we were walking back home one day, and when you came to help me your eyes… I don’t know, they were kind of glowing that same color. Back then I thought it was my head after I hit the ground.”

“But you never hit your head,” said Derek. Stiles nodded to him. 

“It was better to think I did. But I never thought much about it. It just came back to me in her office, and now I’m here.” Stiles pointed his arms around. “I have no idea if I’ll ever do anything about this magic thing, but I’m kinda getting into it. And now that my best friend from forever is part of this world too, I guess I’m not going back.”

Stiles was nervous as he said those words, and Derek didn’t know exactly why. He walked to Derek the rest of the way and his eyes were in Derek’s face the entire time, up until the moment they were almost flushed together. Derek couldn’t really understand what happened to Stiles for him to get to this moment, but he wouldn’t say no, whatever he wanted.

They stood there without doing a thing, then Stiles raised a hand to touch Derek on his cheek.

Derek realized a moment later that his eyes were yellow again.

“They’re beautiful,” whispered Stiles. His own eyes traveled from one feature in Derek’s face to the next, like he was discovering everything again. 

“Yours are too.” Derek didn’t know exactly where those words came from, but here they were. Something in Stiles changed, and his face flushed again. It was different to see him this affected by Derek.

“I never thought I’d miss you so much while I was away. But there was just something about what we had that always made me afraid to leave, and afraid not to leave you.”

“Why?” Asked Derek, moving his face even closer to Stiles. Even trying to control his breathing, it was impossible not to feel how enticing Stiles’ scent was.

“Because it felt like home every time I was in your presence. There was a different world when we were apart, and then something so pure and incredible when we were together. And you never said a thing, never even showed that you… I don’t know.” Stiles looked down.

This time Derek was the one that touched Stiles’ cheek, bringing his eyes to Derek again. 

“I never said a thing because I never knew I should have.”

“Did you always like me?” Stiles asked, his voice so innocent.

Derek took a moment to answer.

“I don’t know when it started. But a part of me thinks it all goes back to the poppies.”

Stiles seemed confused when Derek mentioned, and his heart almost broke at the fact that Stiles wouldn’t remember that. It just didn’t make sense for him to know since it probably was something he didn’t even care that much about, but it made a difference in Derek’s life, in a way he couldn’t even explain.

A moment later a new light appeared in Stiles’ eyes.

“Was that when we were kids? I don’t remember that well, but Dad told me about when we started to be friends, he mentioned that I gave you something? I gave you some poppies?” Stiles asked.

“Well, not just poppies. I don’t know if you even realized at the time what it was, neither did I, but my wolf bonded with you when we were young and… I don’t know. Ever since then I’ve been feeling like my whole life rearranges itself to you when I least expect. And it’s been hard to admit to myself that I would never get a chance to have this, and now…”

“Can we have this? Whatever this is,” Stiles asked, eyeing Derek’s lips. 

There were no words for him to say. Their gazes connected and Derek could see in Stiles’ eyes something he never saw before, and something he was sure Stiles never saw in anyone else, at least during that time they were closer. This was different, it mattered.

Derek pressed his lips to Stiles. In that kiss, he felt everything and nothing, this rush of adrenaline from his toes to his brain, and a calmness that not even the deepest parts of the forest ever brought to him. 

It was like a calling from the moon, and a gift from its magic. 

The poppies had been just a compromise, and now this was a promise. 

Derek’s wolf wanted to howl. 

  
  
  
  



End file.
